An Opportunity to Learn Machining Pops Up!

There I was, in welding class, minding my own business, when in walks an instructor from one of the other industrial classes looking to get some welding done on a fixture he's making. Something to do with hydraulic principals for the Automated Manufacturing class he's teaching. While he's in the welding shop he mentions that he has a field trip coming up to visit a manufacturer with robotic welding facilities. I say I'm interested in the trip, so he invites me over to his classroom to sign up. While I'm there I mention to him that I'm interested in learning basic machining and that it's too bad that the school doesn't have an entry level machining class.  He says, "But we do!" I didn't see anything like that in the course catalog, but he assures me that the class "Automated Manufacturing Concepts/Intro" has what I'm looking for. The class description is as follows.

Automated Manufacturing Concepts/Intro

An introduction to manufacturing processes with emphasis on manual machining to prepare students for further study in the Automated Manufacturing fields. Covers shop safety practices in a machine shop, the use of manual milling machines, lathes and drill presses to manufacture parts to print, and the use of basic metrology instruments to determine if the parts are to print. Calculation and application of correct cutting parameters of selected materials and tools is practiced.

I saw the lathe and the milling machine that are used for the class. The milling machine is a Bridgeport like I have seen in many small old-school machine shops. The lathe though, is some kind of modern CNC machine, however the instructor tells me that it can be used in a manual mode. I know what I'll be doing (if the gods of metal-working are willing) come next January!